shouldiuse.io

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VERDICT

Should I use Kovid's software projects?

A collection of my software projects - sw.kovidgoyal.net

Depends. This is a solo developer's free open-source collection (calibre, kitty), not a commercial product — there is nothing to buy. Use it if you want those specific tools and accept community-only support; skip it if you need vendor contracts, SLAs, or security documentation.

Confidence

Low. Based on 19 public sources; only 5 usable. No G2/Trustpilot reviews, pricing pages, or security findings found.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence found
  • Feature depthNo feature evidence found
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Open source

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Ebook library management (calibre)
  • Keyboard-driven terminal users (kitty)
  • Individuals comfortable with open source

Not for

  • Companies needing vendor support or SLAs
  • Buyers expecting contracts, pricing, or procurement
  • Teams needing security documentation for audits
  • Anyone shopping for a single-vendor commercial product

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

No SLAs or enterprise terms; you rely entirely on community support

medium

No published security page; audit documentation unavailable

low

Hosted on personal GitHub Pages; availability depends on one person

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free access to calibre and kitty
  • Active changelog feed shows ongoing releases
  • Referenced by real users and tools across the web

Cons

  • Not a commercial product: no vendor, pricing, or contracts
  • Security page returns a 404 error
  • Support depends on one maintainer and community channels

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 5 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; the site's own security URL returns a 404.

official x1review x2security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 5

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free and open source
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence found
  • Feature depth. No feature evidence found
  • Support quality: 2/5. Solo maintainer, community support only
  • Security posture: 2/5. Security page 404s; nothing published
  • $0 Price Free, open-source projects
  • 2 Flagship projects calibre and kitty
  • 404 Security page No published security info

Pricing

Open source

$0

  • calibre ebook manager
  • kitty terminal
  • Community support only

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; the site's own security URL returns a 404.

What users say

Direct user reviews are absent; incidental references to calibre and kitty appear in the sources reviewed.

“The four separate links to the bottom however are entirely correct and present as expected.”
Kagi user feedback forum (kitty.conf reference)
Full analysis

Based on 19 public sources; only 5 usable. No G2/Trustpilot reviews, pricing pages, or security findings found.

Free open-source tools (calibre, kitty) from one dev. Great software, zero vendor support. Not a purchase decision.

Methodology

Based on 19 public sources; only 5 usable. No G2/Trustpilot reviews, pricing pages, or security findings found.

Sources

  1. Kovid's software projects (official site)sw.kovidgoyal.net
    official
  2. Product security page (returns 404)sw.kovidgoyal.net
    security
  3. Kagi feedback thread referencing kitty.confkagifeedback.org
    review
  4. RSSHub changelog feed for Kovid's projectst.me
    news
  5. Folo RSS reader listing the site as a feedfolo.is
    review

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